Other Souls?
by soulhunter97
Summary: Soul and the gang's world gets turned topsy turvy when they meet Demons from another world. Are these Demons friends or foes? And can they return home? SoulxMaka, OCxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Hey peoples. I shall be known as Kikue or Squeak (this is my new account for those who know "Squeak"). I based the chapter names on how the SE anime wrote them, so that is why they're so long.  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Soul Eater. I only own Dalia and Deion.**

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_Chapter One: A New Soul Perception Ability... A Possible New Threat to Shibusen?_

"Hey Soul, I found out some pretty cool information! I read that there's a possibility of other souls existing in other universes. Like there are types of worlds we don't even know about!"

Soul smirked as if he was laughing. "Do you _really _think that there are other worlds out there, Maka? What a dweeb…"

Black Star laughed loudly. "Then I'll just have to be even BIGGER! Not like it's possible, of course." That was the same old Black Star, cocky and filled with pride. His arms crossed behind his head. "I'm the Great Black Star and no one surpasses me!"

"Just try to keep your power in check, okay Black Star?" Tsubaki asked quietly; she sighed as he obviously ignored her.

Just then, the clouds opened and a beam of what seemed like black light sped through the air, followed by lightning, thunder and a loud crash. It made the entire Shibusen student body pause, as the crash created a minor earthquake throughout Death City. No one knew what was going on, not even Lord Death himself.

Maka's soul perception ability clicked; she felt something—or someone—close by that she had never seen before._ One, two, three souls… Maybe… Four? Is this some sort of portal like that book said?_ "Soul! C'mon!" She took him by the hand and rushed off in the blast's direction.

She was so enrapt with the idea of that there could be the small possibility that these souls are from another kind of world. The two stopped when they saw the destruction. "Damn… What happened here?" Soul asked, looking around at the debris: buildings ready to cave in, streets torn to pieces, carts and windows smashed into numerous pieces. He stepped cautiously to one side, almost falling into a hole beneath the stones of the tattered street.

Before they could look too far into details of the mess, someone was slammed through one of the half-collapsed buildings without causing damage to it. A girl with a beautiful silhouette and structure landed firmly on the boy's shoulders like a gymnast; she didn't even care about the wall a broke through it. With the same idea as Maka, Soul transforms into a Death Scythe.

"Hey!" Maka called out. "You can't just destroy Death City like this. Who do you think you are?"

"Your worst nightmare if you don't walk away now, pipsqueak. I'm in the middle of an assignment." The girl had one foot pressed against the boy's neck, and the look on her face was just startling: it was filled with a maniacal sense of humor and fulfillment.

_Soul… her wavelength is a lot like that Giriko guy._

_ Yeah. It's creepy… But she seems crazy, too… It's like she doesn't even think!_

"Why don't you run along now, simple thing?" she asked sweetly. "I'm absolutely positive you have nothing to worry about."

"Haile **(Like Haley)**! Let him be. He _is _still a child after all. He can live for a little while longer. That way his suffering will be more lasting. Don't give him the satisfaction of dying easily," a woman's voice said. It was a rather seductive voice, like how Arachne's used to be, and her attitude showed no regret.

The younger female let off and jumped off of the stones near the boy's head. "Can't I play for a bit? These children are being awfully annoying," she whined.

"Later." Then the two ladies left.

Maka wasn't sure what to think about the boy who was sitting up and coughing. She ran over as her curiosity peaked. "Hey, you okay? You're badly torn up." His breathing was strangled. He just stared, seeming unbothered by the irregularity and intensity. "Can you hear me?" He took a defensive stance. _Maybe he's afraid?_ Maka thought.

She took a few steps toward him cautiously and was suddenly thrown back by an abrupt translucent wall.

"Maka! It came from down the alley!"

"Right!" She took a stance as she felt the soul of a Witch. It wasn't a Witch, but a girl with neon green and turquoise hair that was speeding in their direction on what looked like a snowboard. When she noticed the meister and weapon pairing, she jumped down and the board disintegrated. "Hiya! Sorry about the chaos… We'll fix it. Dee! Help me out?"

The boy nodded and a dimly lit circle glowed around him. The bright-haired girl created a magic ball, threw it up just above her head, and then kicked it high into the air. It blew up like a firework and, out of the blue, the area was "back to normal" astonishingly. The girl then tapped the wall and it shattered, disappearing in an instant.

Maka quickly noticed that the others had followed her and Soul.

"Are you okay?"

"Whoa! Y'all are quick youngsters ain'tcha?"

"She's goofy!" Patti said, laughing.

The new girl squealed loudly. "Oh my GOOOOOOOOD! Talking weapons!" She leapt over Maka to set in front of the Thompson Sisters. Then she blinked for a moment. "Deion, shut up!" she called over her shoulder. "Quit bein' such a fuddy-duddy." She flipped over Maka's head again to float above the ground.

"Damn! They must be allied with the Witches!" Kid said.

"Witches?" she asked, turning upside-down. "We don't know any witches besides the ones trying to kill us. I'm Dalia, by the way." Her lively pink-violet eyes danced. "I've never seen talking weapons before, though. Don't you think it's cool?" she asked over her shoulder again.

"What do you think Maka?" Kid asked, knowing that she could sense wavelengths.

"They don't have the witch wavelength, and they aren't using Soul Protect. It has a certain feel about it. But I don't know what they actually are." She stayed in her stance, ready to attack.

"Witches or not, you can't just steal my spotlight from me! Take this!" Black Star launched himself towards Dalia and thick chain-and-sword combo plotted him to the ground. "Hey! What the hell?"

"Deion! Let him go! He just has a major ego," Dalia said smiling ear to ear. She giggles and cuts the chain. "Sorry. The shy one back there is Deion. He's my 'partner in crime-fighting' so to speak. We are what are commonly known as Demons. I've never seen weapons with human capabilities like speech, so I'm guessing you're shifters. Human weapons, am I right?"

"How'd you know?" Liz and Soul seemed to say simultaneously.

-END CHAPTER ONE-

**Chapter Two Coming Soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, I'm back! :) Here's Chapter Two. Read and Review please!**

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_Chapter Two: Confronting Suspicions... A Daring Battle with Something Unknown?_

Deion was quiet as usual; he veered away from the kids standing in front of him and Dalia. He felt a sort of sinking feeling in his gut—an irking one that got on his nerves—as she talked carelessly with these children she didn't even know. He never understood that.

Something just didn't feel right…

"Demons?" he overheard. "So you're like people who try to become a Kishin? The kind that enjoy killing people, which want unlimited power?" It was Maka, a curious child of about fourteen that's a serious bookworm and an excellent Scythe technician (a.k.a. Scythe Meister).

"Well, not exactly. We're _reformed _Demons—in our language that's _Neráli renaveta—_and are a part of the defense force for the largest academy in our realm. Strangely, _kishin _sounds a lot like_ demon_. A little concerning, but I'm not gonna get all worked up about a small detail." She got up to stretch, showing no sign of injury whatsoever as if she was completely healed. "Anyway, we protect our city from Chaos and Insanity, subordinate forces of the Dark Order that we were once a part of and now oppose due to the rites of passage we found."

"So you work with magic? Or is there another sort of explanation you want to give us?" asked Death the Kid. Deion read that he was something they called a _shinigami_, or a grim reaper; very powerful, intuitive, left in the dark, and an obsession with symmetry made him quite an interesting being. _He's still a mortal presence, no matter how powerful though. It's irrefutable._ Kid must have noticed Deion's studying because he turned his head. "Speaking of explaining things, you haven't spoken at all since we've all met."

"Deion Nivera: Demon number one-five-nine-hundred. Class Rank B, status counter 421 out of 730. Niche is Soul Predicting. Anything else, you want to know, shinigami?"

The whole room went quiet. He gave them his school identification information and it was like they were judging him. Just the reason he avoids people in the majority.

"Interesting," said the nurse. Her name was Nygus, a knife-weapon. "You can recite all of that information without having to look at a report."

"I said the simple stuff. That's all you need to know about me," he protested, crossing his arms as he slid his jacket on once the bandaging was finished.

As soon as Deion was tended to, Professor Stein met up with the Shibusen students. "Greetings. Lord Death has made his decision. He's decided that the new 'Demon' children shall be attended to as students here at the academy. Though, you kids will have to be like a surveillance group as they seem to trust you the most, they're at their most comfortable."

"Why us? The boy seems like a real basket case. Either that or he's so paranoid that he's a dork. But the girl, Dalia I think, was pretty cool. She loves this place," Soul said.

"Maybe if we be nice with Deion, he'll be less paranoid?" Tsubaki added.

"I dunno, but he's pretty boring. All he does is mutter and follow Dalia around like a puppy," Patti said.

"How they're dealt with is up to you, according to Lord Death. So long as they don't destroy school property intentionally. And as far as though mysterious girls they were spotted with, we have Asuza keeping a close eye on them while we're in search for Kishin Asura. Enjoy."

Deion stayed distant from the group. The only information he had spoken to them was that in the infirmary. He observed the students as they questioned them about Haile and Anine.

"So those two are witches?"

"Yup. And they'll wreak havoc on Death City 'til it crumbles." Dalia said, shooting a three-pointer. "Sunk it!" Her pink and green shaggy ponytails bounced as she jumped. Deion showed a hint of a smile.

"Nice one, Dalia."

Maka turned her head, noticing that Deion looked happier. "You feeling better?" she asked, walking over to under the tree in the yard. "You took a lot of damage back there."

He just nodded shyly.

"Don't fret over Dee. He's not a very social person. Never has been. But back on track." She shot a three-quarter-court shot, landing a swish easily. "Haile and Anine are pure evil. I don't think they're even remotely human. They're the real witches, and they want the world to go down in Chaos and Darkness."

"How do you say that with a smile on your face? People are in danger, right?" Black Star asked, stealing the ball from her.

"Because I know we'll win. Somehow, someday soon. I just _know_ we'll have a winning strategy that's gonna stop these bitches from taking the universe over by storm. Ya get me?" She blocked his shot a scored a full-court basket. "I'm confident that we'll win the war. We may lose some fights, but it ain't over 'til the Reptilvyn calls. I guess you'd say 'until the fat lady sings'." She giggled that they had no idea what a Reptilvyn was.

Maka pressed a bit. "Why aren't you talking with us? All you've told us was your name and some vague information."

Deion moved from the tree and walked off. _I can't do this._

Dalia, who was hanging from the basket, saw him and dropped. "Deion!" She chased after him with a futile intent.

Once she caught up with him she grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. "Deion, don't you dare leave now. We just got here. We have no idea where on this planet Haile and Anine could be. We need to stay here and help them otherwise they're goners!"

"Dalia, you can't change my mind this time. I'm gonna find 'em on my own and lure them back to Draeona. I won't be held responsible for yet another school of people. I can't handle that much pressure!" He broke her grip and closed his eyes, back turned from her. Immediately releasing his power's strength, the conjuring circle appeared once again and glowed ominously while giving out both a wavelength and an aura out into the city. _They always go for the strongest they can find. _

Black Star tackled him to the ground. "Do you think you can just steal my spotlight? You think you're bigger than me? Well you're not. No one can surpass me!"

Deion stared back at him in boredom. "You done? This is a very uncomfortable ground…"

"Battle me, ya sissy! Ya won't win! I don't even need my weapon."

He realized that this kid was going to go anywhere without a fight quickly. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. I'm not taking this seriously, though." His speech was always calm and collected at most, and this time was no different; he didn't want to fight the kid, not because of his background but by his pride.

The two then stood a ways apart and Black Star took a stance. "I'll take you on without Tsubaki. Don't be afraid to use your own against me though, I'm not afraid of a handicap match." _Tsubaki is his weapon, and she's content with how he is because he brings out her true personality. She is a Demon sword that can transform into different "phases" or modes. All I can do is summon weapons through alchemy._

"C'mon then. Let's get this over with."

"I like how you think." Black Star lunged first, seeming to be able to land a blow right in his jaw; it didn't have any resistance in the slightest. "Huh? Are you using some sorta decoy to run from my awesomeness, coward?"

Deion was quiet at the pompous opponent. He was fast, he gave him that; he was nowhere to being close to a matched challenger, though. Demons are sneaky creatures with thousands of illusions. _Why is he even trying? He should know he can't win. _Black Star came at him again; seeing his movements and aura waves, he dodges easily by rearranging his molecular structure. _His soul and aura are so strong for a human—a mortal even... Impressive..._ Again, Black Star went straight through him.

"What are you? Why can't I hit you?"

_He's not from our universe,_ he remembered Tsubaki saying. _Like Maka and Dalia said, he's something we've never encountered before…_

"So what are you, anyway? I get you're a Demon."

"I've told you...well, Dalia has. I'm a Demon." He disappeared and nailed a blow into Black Star's gut. The tremendous force vibrated throughout his entire body through a single contact point. "I don't want this scrimmage to continue. It's pointless... Humans and immortals alike are beings driven by fear, it's a subconscious thing. Some people don't even realize its presence as valid or even as a reality. You're lucky that you don't notice your fear of losing is why you strive to win with such intensity."

A burst of Dark energy bolted through Black Star's systems enough to make him collapse and fall to his knees. "I won't continue playing something of this level," Deion said, the steely tone scaring him. _Am I already falling…? I haven't been here a day._

He let go of Black Star's shirt. _Damn…_

"Deion!"

"Black Star!" Tsubaki ran over and shook his shoulder vigorously.

"He's only stunned. It was a fake soul wave."

"I don't get it," Black Star said as he tried to stand up. "I couldn't even lay a blow on you, but yet you never ran away. Also, you can't stun me! I will surpass God someday!"

"You have speed and strength, which I can acknowledge. But even though you don't lack in discipline you lack reason."

"Dee, your hand…" Dalia said quietly. He looked down at the blood red mark of the conjuring circle in his palm; it didn't exactly hurt—just a twinge—but it was a sign that he'd be losing soon. Red was never good for Demon-bloods.

He shoved it in his pocket, it was none of their business after all as to what it meant. "Like I said, I'm going."

Dalia hated pulling this trick but she knew he couldn't leave them to suffer, and she couldn't fight the Witch masterminds on her own. She walked up and murmured to him in their native tongue: Daemon. "Dammit, no! I've told you, I made up my mind!"

"Aww, that's much too bad. You and Miss Dalia would be splendid additions to the Shibusen community. I saw your battle with Black Star and I must say I'm impressed at how reserved a demon-child like you can be," Lord Death said from a mirror in Maka's hands.

"I won't hurt anyone. It's why I'm so reserved, sir. Hell and Chaos are in my blood, but I fight it. I can't guarantee anyone's safety if it ever gains full control of me." His tone sounded helpless—lifeless in fact—and was filled with fear to the brim.

It reminded Maka of Crona, but he vanished from the school a little while ago.

Lord Death continued his rant. "That's the goal of the Shibusen! We strengthen the capabilities of both meister and weapon to where the control of their capabilities isn't a problem for the students in control. We _are _an academy of protection after all."

"Please Dee? If you're leaving, then I'm staying. I'm gonna learn how things work here with or without you."

His heart sank; he knew he just made himself looked like a scared pup. "Fine. You win. I hate it when you do that, Dahl. I prob'ly couldn't 've beaten them anyway."

"Ha! Bet I will! They looked like a warm-up! After them I'll defeat the Kishin!"

"Good luck. I've known these people for eighteen years; you don't know how powerful they really are, Black Star. They're much more powerful than even the Kishin Asura…" Deion mumbled, trying to keep himself from shaking.

"C'mon. Let's get to class, okay? We're close to last period," Soul said. "We'll pick this up later."

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**Chapter Three in the making. :) Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three: The Eyes of Evil... __The Spread of the Kishin's Insanity Increases?_

Anine and Haile stayed in a fair place on the outskirts of Death City. It was small compared to their home in Draeona, but decent enough to rent out temporarily. Having two floors and a basement with a bar, spacious living quarters, upscale décor, modern technology, and luxurious additions, it was basic for their tastes. In their words it was rather bland.

"Mother?" Haile asked. "Why must we hide from delinquent children like these? They aren't a threat to us and yet we're staying in the shadows like cowards. I wanna fight!"

"Contrary to what you think, your confidence and pride are shadowing your judgment of the mortals. This world is just as dangerous as our home, the Dragon's Land **(this is what the word "Draeona" translates to in their language. I based it off of the Latin word for dragon.)**, you just don't see its rather pathetic potential. At least of a few souls I've seen have a surprising amount of potential. Such a fantastic phenomenon."

Anine may have been evil, but she was also knowledgeable, calculating, and intelligent. Criminal masterminds should be, right?

She sipped a cherry-colored wine-like drink. "I can feel another presence of insanity."

"That so? Now I'm interested in this dingy little town," Haile scoffed. "The pitifulness is seriously grinding at my nerves."

"Patience child," Anine said; she sauntered over to the window of the parlor. "With our souls disguised by the spell we learned millennia ago, we can slip right under their noses and infiltrate that which we desire." An evil, malevolent grin sat upon her dark-colored lipstick. The catch was that, for their Soul Protect spell, no one that can see or sense souls could see theirs due to the fact of its foreign origin.

"Mother, this insanity is on level much weaker than ours. Its wavering is like a teeter totter, so unstable… Also there is a wrench in our infiltration plan. They took in Chanté's daughter and Deion. They will be able to detect us leagues off."

"He will come to his senses in due time, Haile. We need just to be patient."

Haile nodded and remembered the student brats mentioning something called a Kishin.

Soul and the gang got ready for gym class and its steadily changing tests. First it was a speed test after Kishin Asura had awoken; now it's strength because of the arrival of two unfamiliar witches able to destroy half a city sector with one burst of energy.

Nygus was the gym instructor and went over to Dalia and Deion. "Are you the new students Shinigami-sama just enrolled? I'll need you to test as well to see where you lie in the strength spectrum of the class."

"Okay!" Dalia said enthusiastically. "This will be fun!"

"But remember, the students here at Shibusen aren't the same as your friends from wherever you said you're from." The two kids nodded. "Alright then. Just jump in when I call you."

Dalia went up to the group. "I can't believe I'm actually in an Eluran school." **(Eluran is what my OCs call mortal. It's from the Ancient language they speak. Though their dialect says it differently.)**

Deion lagged behind her a tad, looking more distant than usual. Soul noticed this. "Hey," he said, going up to the Demon kid, "Don't talk much, huh?" Deion shook his head. "You should lighten up. No one here is going judge you."

"Why don't you come to Kid's party?!" Patti screams.

"Yeah. You two would be a great addition."

Deion and Dalia exchanged a glance. The gang noticed that they did this often, like a quiet conversation that was just between them.

Dalia spoke up after Deion shrugged. "We'd love to!"

"Williams?" Nygus called. "You're up! Patti, you'll spar with her."

"Yay!" the two squeal. Sometimes they seemed more like sisters than Patti and Liz.

The sparring battle began. Patti would hit Dalia and she wouldn't retaliate, absorbing every blow one after another like a sponge soaks up water; Dalia felt no pain even though bruises were appearing on her body. She grinned the entire time and once Patti stopped attacking, she struck with one blow that blasted her into the ground with a large crater left as the result. "You're really powerful. I learned that you need a witch's soul to become a weapon. However Dee didn't need that. It's so cool how a mortal can have the strength of a wizard!" She helped Patti stand up. "That was fun. We should spar again sometime. Usually I only spar with Dee, and he's a tough one."

Patti smiled and laughed with her. "Sure! You're lots of fun!"

Nygus then looked to Deion. "Nivera?" she asked, pronouncing it _Niv-rah_, "Is that how you say it?" Dee nodded. "You're up. Soul, you'll be his opponent."

"Dalia says you're strong," he said. "Now I'll get to see if she's right. 'Cause I know you weren't trying with Black Star. I thought that was a fluke."

"Deion, are you a meister or a weapon?" Nygus called.

"Weapon, ma'am." His voice had a slight twang.

"Huh, then… Nygus? Can I test how well he is as a weapon? You know the whole weapon confirmation sorta thing?" When she said it could be a good thing, he grinned. "Even better."

"Alright. Begin!"

Soul's arm morphed into the scythe blade while Deion's two each had a translucent purple blade appear. The Demon crossed his blades into an "X" to block Soul's first attack; the blades sparked each time they clashed. Deion's blades had a tremendous resistance to Soul's strength without effort; in one sense it got Soul fired up to see such power, and in another it infuriated him to know that they were about the same age and Deion was significantly better. His scythe was a blade with incredible force. When two weapons of this caliber battled—even sparred—it'd be impressive if neither of them would come out unscathed.

Time and time again they would hit and sparks flew repeatedly until they could hardly breathe. "C'mon, is that all you got?" Soul called out. "You're supposed to be strong."

Deion remained silent. The blades clashed again. Soul saw his mouth move but heard no words.

"Dude, seriously. Give me a challenge would ya? You're just defending. A strong defense is only as strong as its offense!" He knocked Dee backwards about ten feet.

Dee hesitated momentarily, then kicked himself high into the air; he changed his blades to form a single, circular one that encompassed his entire body like a line of symmetry; symbols of strange origin appeared on the vane that glowed a bright red as he seemed to hover midair. Throughout all of this Soul found himself in an adrenaline rush just from watching it happen, much because he found himself jealous; Deion was the same type of weapon as he and was showing no effort in the phase change whatsoever.

Deion had gotten farther through training only with Dalia than he had by training at Shibusen. A mixture of amazement and anger overcame him, leaving him wide open for Deion's attack.

It was quick. The blades made a strange sound—something between a hiss and a screech—before Deion unconsciously sent him flying into the wall behind him, but leaving no collateral damage on his body. It knocked the wind out of him, but when he caught his breath Deion was be restrained by a strange object. Dalia couldn't look at Dee, and the class had moved to settle into bundles with the only kids left were his friends.

He went up to Maka. "What's going on?"

"Apparently he's entered into some sort of Demon state. Dalia's containing it now." A grand display of wind and light fill the sky as the clamp settles tighter and tighter on Deion. Maka stepped backwards, fear explicit on her face. "N-no way…"

"What?"

"His soul wavelength…it changed! How did it change!?"

~END OF CHAPTER THREE~

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**Chapter Four coming soon! -Kikue**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry if this one seems a little confusing! But it isn't just a SE story. Hope you still enjoy! I own Dalia, Monty, and Deion.**

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_Chapter Four: Darkness Approaches... Risking the Safety of a Weapon's Sanity?_

It was upsetting, knowing the background of such a timid soul. It was no wonder why he shied from everyone and thing and that his soul was filled with an intense fear. He wasn't like Crona, but like a puppy, and Dalia was his adoptive owner; saddest thing was he didn't have the right amount of capability to control his complete state as a weapon, which was why he only summoned weapons through a basic technique to him. Maka finally understood Dalia's pain she kept hidden from him.

Maka walked out of the kitchen in her and Soul's apartment. "Food's ready. I'm still shocked that you weren't hurt from Deion's move."

"Yeah. I saw him say something, but it's like I was deaf or something because I couldn't catch what he said." Soul sat up. "And it's strange... was his hair always that white? And his eyes were different too."

"I saw that too. I don't think that's normal..."

The two sat in silence as they watched the television. Even though both were worried about their new friend, they each felt a slight ache whenever they were around each other. It was as if they longed for something, but they didn't know what just yet.

"Hey, Maka. You said his soul wavelength changed. I thought that wasn't possible."

"It's not, as far as I've studied. Which is why I'm curious because I've never seen it happen before."

"Well whatever the reason, you're not gonna find out without me."

"Well then, would you mind if we got some answers as to what's going on around here? And why you, a Death Scythe, _lost_ to a mere newbie?"

"Hey! It was a fluke! Now Black Star's wasn't though!"

"Then we'll have you prove that! C'mon!" She grabbed his wrist and took off out the door.

The engine's revving slowly came to a purring noise before Soul cut the engine. The apartment's front light was on, even though it was noon. "I wonder if they know that the porch light doesn't need to be on."

"Does it matter?" Maka asked as she knocked on the door. "Dalia? Deion? Anyone home?" She heard muffled bass coming from inside the apartment.

The door opened and metal music flooded into the outside. "Hey guys. Come in." Dalia walked inside and turned the radio down. "Sorry, music helps me not freak out in stressful situations." She giggled lightly.

"You shouldn't have to fake that smile around us. We're you're friends."

Dalia's face softened and the pain shown through the pasted-on smile. "It's not the first time that this has happened. He often has trouble controlling the chaotic soul he was created to have. I'm kinda like his motivation to fight..."

"So you two are siblings?" **(This part was inspired by my boyfriend because he thought Dalia and Deion were brother and sister! ^_^)**

Dalia shook her head. "No! Well… kind of. He's a foster child of my mother's but we have no blood relation and he turned down Mother's offer. His mother disowned him because he wasn't the perfect killing machine. It's sad, really."

"Who's his mother?"

"I'm not allowed to say. Every time her name is mentioned by someone other than him, pain runs through his heritage marks."

"Heritage marks?"

"Yeah, they're these—!" Suddenly there was the sound of glass breaking, people shouting, and maniacal laughing. "Shit!"

The trio run to the back room; the bed was ransacked, the walls covered in burn marks, and the window smashed with glass scattering across the floor. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Dalia screamed, slamming her fist against the wall, creating a huge dent. "Twelve years and I still can't get this right! I'm always screwing this up!" She took a breath. "I'll have to fix the room later; I need to get his insane ass back here before all of Death City is destroyed!"

"We're coming with you!" Maka and Soul follow her out.

"Watch Com thirty-four-dash-eight, locate Deion Nivera!" she said to her watch. A screen shows up with a red dot near the edge of Death City. "Ten degrees west then thirty north! Fine by me!"

It seemed almost impossible to keep up with her. She flew at a speed faster than Soul's motorcycle could even reach. When she finally stopped, they were at the far end of town. Following Dalia at such a speed made the two Shibusen students wonder why he was so important to her. She finally stopped at a house on the edge of Death City with tall pillars of granite and jasper; the massive house was gorgeous. It was hard to believe that two criminals could have been living there.

Someone went through one of the top floor windows with hardly a sound at all. Maka looked to the particular level of the palatial building and shuddered as she tried to detect Deion's wavelength, which turned out to be nothing. _He doesn't have a wavelength. But how? Even Sid has a wavelength and he's a zombie..._ It rattled her brain, because every person has to have a soul, a wavelength, but strangely he didn't; that's what bothered her, the fact that he seemed to be able to live and not have a soul, to be able to feel like a normal person and be a hollow shell.

Dalia barged in through the front door. "Deion! Where are you!?" She tore down doors and ransacked the hallways and rooms of the mansion in an almost blind fury to find her comrade.

"Dalia! Hold up. You're not thinking this through. If Deion _did_ somehow end up here, what would his reason be?" Soul asked, a little confused at Deion's possible motives.

Maka sensed two strong souls, much stronger than Black Star's or Mifune's, that resided there. "The people living here... He must have some business with them. I can't imagine what unless he knew them."

Soul and Maka looked to each other. _"The Witches!"_

They quickly followed after Dalia.

Anine's hand lifted from the arm of the chaise. "He has come, Haile."

"Excellent." She ran to the door. Opening it, she saw Deion; his eyes were dilated to look like his irises were black, like his eyes were never even brown; his expression was more of a neutral response. "Welcome to the Guild, Nivera. So glad to have you back."

He walked past the threshold and far even past the door for her to close it. The mother walked up to him, a small yet evil smile set upon her perfect face. "Child, it has been ages since you have been able to side with the Black Princess and her honorable Servants. Welcome back to where you truly belong."

"I can hear voices! The damned criminals. I oughta feed 'em to da griffins! Better yet the dragons," Dalia said, turning down a maze of corridors. "I don't understand why she is outta prison, nor the reason why my brother Monty couldn't destroy her!"

They found a body leaning against a corner of a hall's end. The blonde hair and tan skin were dead signs that it was Deion's without a doubt. It hadn't any sign of decay, even from the wounds he would have gotten from the bedroom window and the cobblestones. Dalia's hand curled until her knuckles were white as a vampire's skin; her eyes changed color from a vibrant fluorescent pink to a deep crimson red... The color of anger.

"Dalia, calm down. This could be a decoy, maybe?"

She thought for a moment, her eyes changing to a sullen grey. "Possibly. But Demons like Dee have a special quality that allows them to have two separate forms, but be the same being. One is physically tangible, the other one not. This is only his intangible one's container: the physical representation of a human being."

The sound of her voice showed pain. She continued, "You see... Dee was a creation of Dark matter and select feelings after he was born. At least we all think he was born like regular being. So the only emotions he feels are the negatives like pain, regret, guilt, fear, and others of the sorts."

"Why cry about a weakling? Mother used that as a test. Obviously he failed miserably." Haile stood in their way of the exit. "He wouldn't have failed if you had not have stepped in."

_ There are two presences now. But there are two wavelengths. It has to be the other witch._ Soul transformed into a scythe ans Maka took a stance. "Soul, you know what to do."

"Let's go, soul resonance!"

Soul's form changed to the Witch Hunter blade. They were able to resonate with Dalia as well, though she was without her weapon.

_ You'll need to be able to control Genie Hunter in order to even lay a scratch on her. She can change her resistance like Dee, so you'll have to find a way to defeat that advantage._ Maka heard in her head. Soul did too. She must've had telepathic capabilities with those her soul resonated with.

"We'll have to use the black blood." Maka said.

"What!? Last time, you went insane and it almost consumed you!"

They both knew it was their only chance at surviving this battle. It was agreed silently. Genie Hunter and the Black Blood...

Dalia turned a board into some sort of axe and launched at an amorphous blob while Maka took on Haile.

"Outta my way!" Haile snapped, almost slicing through Soul. "I don't care for the wimpy materials." Her body morphed into an eerie shadow creature and took over Deion's embodiment.

_ What do I do? I don't want to hurt him..._

"Snap out of it Maka! It's not really him!" she heard from behind Haile. It was Kid. How did he end up finding them? "You can tell this isn't Deion. The one Dalia's fighting is!" He shoots at the mass being sliced by Dalia's axe.

"That thing is Deion?" Kid nodded.

"Then let's knock some sense into that kid!" Soul said. "Maka!"

"Right!" They got ready to slice when a wall appeared. "What!?"

"Someone doesn't want us to interfere," Kid said, knocking on the glass-like wall.

Anine came into the corridor. "Don't bother them. This is his chance to prove his worth."

"What kind of person are you?"

"One unfortunate enough to be his mother and his trainer." She turned her attention to the Demon. "Now! You know your instructions, so do as you're told!" The Demon's shadow "leapt" at Dalia and shrieked at the slice of her axe. "Stop wasting time!"

A thick katana blade pierced through her stomach with a bright glow. "Monty... Nice try, but it didn't work. You wish it would have. Am I right?" She removed the blade by pulling it through her abdomen. "Both the mortal and immortal realms will be lain in insanity where rules aren't necessary in order to live and you can choose as you please."

He sliced at her again just as Dalia was flung through the wall like she was a rag doll. "Damn it!" The man known as Monty disappeared from the scene soul and all.

Haile still occupied Deion's body and he was still unconscious of the battle. Maka and the others began to question if he was going to be safe to be around any longer.

~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~

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**Read. Review. Rate. Subscribe! Chapter Five is in the making :D**


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five: The Fight for a Life... The Real Story Behind the Friendship?_

Dalia walked out of the infirmary of Shibusen, bandages covering her forehead and left shoulder. She was as quiet as a mourner and looked as though she was incomplete, and she told Maka and Soul she felt like this. Though in class and in front of the others she was the brightest and happiest person they met throughout the school day.

After school while playing basketball, a man walked up and leaned against the wall by the sidelines. He was tall with reddish-brown hair tucked into a fuzzball of a ponytail; he had a blue-black tattoo on the left side of his face, which was a tawny sort of colored skin tone; his eyes were a piercing deep emerald, and he looked like a white collar type. Why would a guy like that be coming to Shibusen without a direct means?

Dalia passed the ball to Soul and went to the bench, flipped over it like a cartwheel, and talked to the man quietly. She was fearless, Maka never sensed any vibration of the primal emotion from her. She heard Dalia squeal.

"No way! You think so?" The man nodded. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She hugged him.

"Easy there!" he said. His voice was deep and ran smoothly. "I can introduce myself Dalia…" He stepped forward and bowed slightly.

"Hey, weren't you the man from before? The one at the battle against the witches?" Kid asked, stepping close enough be within the guy's reach.

"Aye. But be careful," he joked, "I'm an ex-con. Don't be fooled." He had the Witch-like soul wavelength as well. "I'm just here to check up on my little sister. Seems like she got herself in a bit of a jam, huh?" He tousled Dalia's now black hair that had purple and cobalt colored streaks. "She's notorious for doing that."

"Guys, this is Monty. He's my foster brother. My mother adopted him before I was born. He's the co-CEO of a mortal, multi-million-dollar company. Shuffle, Inc. I think."

"I can't believe you lost Deion. I mean, come on. He's your only real responsibility."

"Not my fault he went insane. Though he's comin' back. I just know it!" she said and skipped off.

Monty sighed. "Well, that's Dalia for ya… Always lookin' for the brightest option and then stickin' with it 'til the end…" His face was solemn and sullen. "Sadly, I don't think that's true. If Deion can't return to his physical embodiment, then more likely than not the insanity will devour whatever he has left of a living spirit. If it weren't for Dalia, he'd pretty much be the undead by now."

"A zombie…?" The group said simultaneously.

Black Star blinked. "Big deal. With the way he acted, he was really taking up my spotlight. Even though he tried to do that, he's a friend."

Tsubaki smiled. "Why don't we try to bring him back to his body then? Can't that be done?"

"Not if it's possessed by another Demalonuthra, aka Shadow Demon. It's his breed of Demon, and we're branded as ne'er-do-wells."

"I guess that leaves the question of why one of our friends is a creepy, scary monster thing!" Liz panicked. "It's so freaky! I'm not good with ghosts!"

"He's not a ghost," Monty said with a smile (he was handling the situation so calmly), "He's simply just in the most basic form of Life itself: energy, 'cept it's visible." He pressed a button on his watch and a bunch of translucent panels panned out in front of them. "I already requested permission from Lord Death-whom I've met before in my distant past-and he approved of my showing you something as an… educational lesson. Remember to keep this in mind when we come back to the present."

"Wait. What?"

Monty closed his watch's holograms and formed a sphere to hover above his palm; it looked like a whitish gold puff ball, with its delicate looking edges as it spun around quickly. It expanded and engulfed the eight people as it grew, leaving them unharmed in a land unknown.

Everyone is transported to a land with lush forests and rumbling rivers with crystal white rapids. The kids looked around, touching and sensing, just trying to grasp the world they landed in was a job alone; with widened eyes they all wanted to ask what this place was. Monty beat them to the plate.

"Welcome to the great land of Dragons, Draeona." He helped them understand what the strange humans were saying in their gibberish. They didn't get why they couldn't understand them if they could understand Dalia. "We're in the past of a few close friends of mine. Take everything into account. Like you should have been told before... it is better to know your enemy if you are to battle them."

"It's so beautiful..."

"How were you able to do that?" Kid asked, marvelled. "Unless you weren't kidding about the whole ex-con Demon thing."

"I wasn't. That was true. But that isn't the point at the moment." He took them to a large palace with pillars aspiring so high they were as tall as redwoods, and surrounded by the woodlands. "This is our destination. I've been given permission to let you enter. From there is where the story plays out and you will be on your own."

Everything acted as if it were happening in real life: they could touch the objects, and interact with past figures... it was astonishing.

They all watched as a little child was chased down the hall playfully by a man who could be his father, the boy's little blonde head bobbing up and down as he toddled. He giggled and squeaked as his father-as claimed by Monty-picked him up in a bear hug and roared loudly. "Daddy, no!" he laughed.

"The bloizzel wins again!" His dad laughed for a moment. "Hey, you wanna go see the pretty flowers Gramma has? She has a garden." By this time, Monty had noted that the boy's father was an open "hetero-homosexual", so he would be a little different.

"Gramma!" The boy wriggled out of his grip and made his arms into airplane wings, making sound effects. "Vroom! Whoosh!"

"What's the point of this? It's another ordinary kid, just with a strange weirdo for a father," Black Star claimed. "How does this have anything to do with us?"

"Just watch Black Star. All will be told."

The little boy runs into the backyard which is filled to the brim with flowers, ivy, and trees. Its beauty was unsurpassable in the long run. He stopped by digging his heels in the dirt when he saw a tall woman. The kids wondered who she was.

She had long ivory colored hair and faded pastel green eyes, bangs that covered one side of her face and hair that went down to her hips, and she wore a long faded baby blue gown. "Jordan, I see you have a little friend with you today," she said with a smile. "Who's he?"

"My son. He's quite a bundle of energy and fun to keep track of," the man said.

The students started to put a few pieces together while Soul asked, "Who's the chic?"

"That," Monty retaliated, "is the Master of Dark Illusions. She's the Queen of Dark Arts."

Maka went to the window and watched the little boy explore the garden's turns and such. His eyes were filled with wonderment and excitement, as if he had never been outside the castle walls before. It was kinda cute, seeing a child with such curiosity and talent hiding within him. It again reminded her if Crona. This could somehow be connected too their present encounters, she thought.

Something popped out of the bushes and at the boy with a loud shriek, this child's hair was a mouse's color and her eyes were a deep red like a Garnet stone. The boy froze in fear from her surprise attack, unable to breathe correctly.

Jordan picked him up. "Hey...you're okay, Sport. She was just trying tho play."

The boy buried his face in Jordan's shoulder. "She scared me, Daddy..."

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry... why don't I make it up to you?" She was sincere and promising. She looked down at the necklace around her neck and asked him if he wanted it.

The boy shook his head. He thought it would've been stealing and refused to take the dark jewel; the girl then went up to the Master and asked a peculiar question. "Mommy, can I have a new necklace like mine? I wanna give it to him. I want him to be my friend too."

"Why was she just called her mother?" Liz asked. "That girl doesn't look like a princess... so what up with that?"

Not that she couldn't have been a princess, but she didn't look like any of the ones the gang had ever seen so it would be a surprise if she actually was a princess.

The girl left the Master of Dark Illusions to be with the small boy, who was now playing with a little rose bush. "I'm back! Here. I have another one with my aunt Dawnelle. Take it." She held out the necklace towards him. "Please. I just wanna be your friend..."

He was hesitant as he stared at the dark crystal hanging from the thin chain. It was a bluish black with a green core. She called it a Fezzo Shundrala.

He finally decided to take the necklace, seeing as she refused to take no for an answer. It pulsed a weak color; and only Maka seemed able to see that it resembled a soul wavelength she had seen before they took this journey. And as the memory went on, the sound went in and out like an old radio.

They reached a climactic point in the story of the two young children: they were walking side by side through the garden, the girl talking up a storm. The boy was shying away from her to be alone and deal with his problems on his own. She took him by the hand and asked him what was wrong.

"The world's gonna die due to people like my mommy and sister... They want it to go down in flames... and I can't stop it. I hate it. I hate that Daddy won't do anything. He's too scared to try to fight her."

"Momma says that she will be stopped and that the future will be bright and happy because off kiss like me and you." The girl smiled. "You need too lighten up. Everything ain't all gloomy ya know."

The group froze in shock. The pieces just made sense. These kids were their friends Dalia and Deion from their childhood.

"Mister Monty? Is there a reason for us seeing this?" Kid asked quietly.

He remained silent as the scene continued.

Dalia continued. "Why are you so negative anyway?"

"Because I already know what will happen if we can't stop anything... It's not a nice place to live in. It scares me."

"But it doesn't have to. Are you a Seer, mind I ask?"

"I can read what has happened to people in past lives and what will happen if they stay in the path they're in. I know all these things just by looking at a person." His hands shook from being in fists for so long and tears were in his eyes to where he could no longer see where he was going. Dalia guided him to a stump and hugged him, saying,

"Well, I promise you that you can come to me whenever thou feel you can't control these weird readings. And that you will have fun when I'm around. I don't ever wanna see you upset again. I am Dalia Leilani Williams and that is what I do best!"

The flashback ended and they were back in Death City once again. They didn't know that they knew each other for so long and that the reason Deion strayed from everyone was because he could see everything about them. They still didn't understand why she cared about him so much, at least all but Maka didn't comprehend.

~END OF CHAPTER FIVE~

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**Hope you all enjoyed. Read. Rate. Subscribe. ~Kikue**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is Six! I know it's a bit short, and I apologize. ~Kikue**

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_Chapter Six: True Colors Revealed... The Collision of Two Different Worlds?_

After what Monty showed them, the gang was even more uncertain if Deion was safe. They went back to Shibusen for classes the next day and found Dalia wearing the necklace she gave Deion years ago and fiddling with it constantly while at her seat in Stein's class. She wasn't as quiet as she was the first day he got lost.

"I don't know what to think of him. He's had so much terrible stuff happen to him it explains why he wouldn't communicate." Maka was discussing with the others out in the yard.

"But how could he see the future is my question? He is just a kid." Kid was just as confused as anyone. He couldn't believe that it was possible to see the future without thinking it's just a prediction. "And it's not like he's psychic."

Dalia walked up to them and the subject changed. "Hey guys and girls. What's going on?"

"Just a talk about school. Nothing unusual."

"Coolio. Liz, you, Patti and Kid still holding that party next week?"

"Yeah, why? You still wanna go?" She asked.

"I thought it'd be fun. Even if Deion won't wake up, I should still have fun, right?"

They all started saying something positive to her to keep her mood upbeat. She was a rather fragile kid when it came to her emotions and Deion is what Monty told them. He was very straightforward about most things and didn't try to hide the truth in reality of things.

Everyone went back to their regular school schedules that morning, and Monty pulled Dalia into a small area of Shibusen that wasn't easily seen; he dealt her the news. Her heart felt instantly numb and so did the rest of her, feeling like it had been ripped out of her chest; she felt everything except happiness, pain, and despair. Instead she felt hope for a new future. That was until the P.A. system came on with a stunning announcement.

"Hello Shibusen students, faculty, and staff members. This is Death Scythe Spirit speaking. We have been recently acknowledged that a fellow classmate of the students has gone missing. However, due to short notice, we cannot allow a search party to further disrupt vital classes. Thank you."

The tone was so monotonous and unmoving that Dalia felt like having the entire system pulled out by the wires. This time she felt anger and infuriation like the lake of fire from the depths of Hell itself. The damn bitches. They took him. It's all their fault. Their fucking fault. She grit her teeth and smiled through the pain inside, the deep agonizing pain that felt like a bullet going through her.

Anine and Haile were to pay. And it was to be by her hand.

Maka didn't see anything of Dalia the next few days at school, and it irked her that she didn't know. Soul could sense her frustration and tried to ease the tension in the air of the apartment. "You know, it's not like she's ran off. She's probably just trying to cope with things somehow."

As usual, his advice didn't help an ounce.

Maka banged her fist against the wall. "It's not that. We just don't know why she cares so much about a felon."

Soul sat up straighter from his position on the couch. "How do you know he's a felon? For all we know, those Heritage marks-things could mean anything."

"I read in that book about other worlds and it said that in this other dimension, markings on the skin are used as trackers by their central governmental system. In other words, he's a criminal."

"And your dad's a perverted womanizer."

"THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" she exclaimed, landing a Maka chop on his head. "The point of this is the fact that he's afraid of hurting people in this strange full-Demon state that not only he can't control, but drives him to the point of insanity. Insanity's domination through the kishin is what we are trying to stop, Soul. Deion and Dalia can't help us with that is they are insanity themselves!" She had made a valid point Soul couldn't argue with; Deion had chaos running through his veins.

Her fist slammed against the table. "I hate to admit it but maybe Liz was right on this one. Maybe Deion is just a scary monster person that we can't help, that we can't change."

"That's not like you at all. To just give up like that. And so what if he is? He's still a person all the same, isn't he?" Soul wasn't one to actually think this way **(all you SE followers out there know what I'm talking about!) **"Demon or not. He's our friend."

"We can't go to their world… They came here by a mishap… The only one that seems affected would be Deion, who's never seen our world before. Dalia doesn't care."

There was a knock on the door. Maka answered. It was Monty.

"Hello?"

Monty smiled gently. "I suppose you know of the missing student?" Maka nodded. "Good. You know who it is. But trust me, you've got it all wrong."

"How did you know I was talking about Deion? You can't be psychic, can you?"

"Not a chance," he retorted, "but I do have intuition, and a damn good one. May I ask you kids a favor?"

_ the following week _

One day from the party and nothing seemed to have changed. It was strange what Monty had to ask of the gang, but it was also a nice gesture: a surprise moment; it didn't have to very big, but it would mean a lot for their friend.

The party was more of a big gala type event with lots of space and music-some supplied by Soul. Dalia walked with Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, and Black Star in a pale blue babydoll dress patterned with little skulls and studs on the shoulders; her hair was in a single ponytail, streaked blonde and ginger-red into her normal hair color. She wasn't as upset, and everyone could see it.

The space was grand, the girls commented on the grandness of it all. Afterwards, Dalia ran to go talk with Stein, who fascinated her and she him. They talked while Tsubaki, Kid, Soul, and Maka conversed about the plan.

"So, how do know what the signal is? It's not like Monty gave us detailed instructions," Tsubaki asked quietly. "What's the surprise anyway?"

"He told us not to tell just in case of unwanted listeners. But it's something really special," Maka said, smiling widely. "I can't wait to see the results."

Soul smirked. "Yeah. No kidding. We'll probably be regretting the sounds of it though." He and Maka exchanged a glance. How am I doing?

She doesn't notice. It's funny using telepathic communication.

You adjusted fast enough. "It is funny though. And pretty cool how it happens."

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go introduce the party," Kid said in his OCD sort of way.

When Kid started talking, Dalia went over to the gang again. "How long does he usually yap for?" They answered with "a while" at the same time. "Oh." She went to the balcony and leaned on the railing, sighing in depression. I miss Dee... I just wanna go home to find him.

The party got crashed with a loud shattering of glass and laughing of some devilish sounding voices. Dalia chased under her breath and walked inside. "Leave us all alone you crazy bastards! You cause enough pain to me alone! You should just go away!"

Her eyes were a beet red lined with a deep blackish blue ring. "If anything leave them alone. You've caused me enough pain to last centuries."

Haile grinned. "Why don't you show all these mortals your true self Cærei." (This is pronounced Ky-ree)

"Don't call me that!" She growled lowly. And as Maka and the gang watched, Maka noticed that she was controlling her should wavelength very well as if she's had a multitude of experiences.

Something clicked again, and it seemed the longer Maka got to know these kids the more she learned about their past. Dalia would always hide her pain and unpleasant feelings when she was around Deion and that was almost oh too often. The children forms of them weren't like they were now, they were much more interactive and playful instead of serious and hard-set.

Kilik looked out through the balcony. "Guys! I don't know what's going on, but it's creeping me out!"

Everyone peered out a window and gasped at the scenery: it was changing at a dizzying pace as it morphed.

No one knew what was happening, but they blamed the Demons. Dalia of course ignored the harshness of their words and placed a bubble around Haile as soon as the surroundings stopped changing. She said something in the Ancient language she was taught as a child and both of them disappeared.

The sound of children fill the outside, but they weren't typical children's noises.

The gang ran out to find themselves in a vivacious city that had people going around like bumblebees. Things were flying out of windows and doors, dragons flew overhead around the city's outskirts.

"Guys, doesn't this look somewhat familiar...?"

A young girl flew up to the school. She looked about thirteen years with legitimately gold colored eyes and dressed in a school uniform of some sort. Everyone was shocked she could actually fly; Kilik even asked if she was hiding a jet pack.

"I'm Meaghan, one of the youngest students here… You're from the mortal realm."

Her reaction was so calm it was scary she knew that they were from what Dalia and Deion called the "mortal realm". Could this girl have known their friends?


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter also reveals a set of characters. I own all but SE charries. ~Kikue**

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_Chapter Seven: Revelations on Both Spectrums… The Ultimate War Begins?_

… Somewhere in Draeona …

A young girl passed by a cell in the upper floor of the Heisn basement; she carried a tray that held a bowl filled with gumbo and a cup of water. She walked down the hall and stopped at the only cell filled with a living body, struggling to not look. Its soul was almost too dim to feel in the air.… and it was her turn to keep watch. She had long and fluffy mouse brown hair that went down to her hips, soft grey eyes that looked like faded charcoal, and freckles painted across her face; with young, highly acute senses, she knew something was wrong. The vibrations that emanated from the chamber behind her were unearthly and sorrowful. She didn't want to turn around, because the feeling in her gut told her she wouldn't like what she saw. When she did anyway, she had to catch her breath in order not to scream.

…Back at Shibusen…

The girl turned on her heels. "Maka," she said without asking her name, "you and your friends are looking for Dalia. Am I wrong?"

"Yes. Half wrong. We're also looking for Deion Nivera. Do you know them?"

She bent over backwards until her poofy pigtails dangled away from her face. "Yeah. They're my comrades and family by adoption." She smiled. "Do you know how you got here?" They all shook their heads. "Dalia and Deion are similar at heart, they can't completely control certain aspects of their powers. Especially when they access Caishe, the original Demon form that looks like a cloud or a shadow. Follow me."

The group of students got to the tree line and a gold translucent wall appeared around the school building. Meaghan said that it was a spell from the Draeonan goddess of Protection and Truth: Zhavie. (If I start to use Dræona, don't get confused. It's still the same spelling D-R-A-E-O-N-A. Thank you.)

She guided them to a large cabin outside the edge of a camp and told them to wait at the door. "Lena! Los estudiantes estan aquí, como que te digas un momento pasado!"

"Muchas Gracias," the hispanic called.

Meaghan turned back to them. "She's getting Dad and Uncle Arthur."

Monty walked out, surprising the gang. The other man had sparks coming off the tips of his hair as if he had been electrocuted or something, bright blue eyes that matched the color of his blonde hair's dyed tips, and a rather pale complexion compared to Monty's skin tone. His attire made him look less terrifying than his height did, he dressed like a gamer dork.

Monty spoke up. "Thanks bug," he said, tousling Meaghan's hair. "So glad you kids weren't hurt. And before you say anything, I had nothing to do with this. Merely a fluke." He smiled gently. "The kids found Deion earlier. He's asleep. Though Dalia's watch isn't transmitting, and her aura's being blocked by something so I can't find her."

"Pardon my interruption, sir. But how can you know what, um… aura… is whose?" Kid asked, trying to be as precise as possible. "And is it like seeing souls?"

"I'm no Seer, but I am a Seeker. I'm limited to what I can see of people. Meg and Deion-however-can see souls and such as colors and trails." He pulls up another panel from his computer-watch and a woman's face appears onscreen.

The kids were a bit slow as they all realized that Monty had said they found Deion but Dalia was missing. Black Star immediately then pushed through the crowd and proclaimed with great confidence, "I'll find her! It can't be a challenge for someone as awesome as me!" His naturally self-involved egoist personality was apparent throughout the entirety of the house. No one objected his offer to search for Dalia because they all knew that even though he may have been pompous, he had the skills to find her.

Black Star obviously knew nothing of how Draeona was laid out, but he refused to take Meg's help; Dalia was his friend, even if she did hang out with a criminal... or was it ex-criminal?

He dashed through miles and miles of forest with no prevail. He wouldn't give up though, he could do things most others couldn't. He was proud of that fact. "Tsubaki, think we can find this Castle place a lot easier? He said that the Master of Dark Illusions could know where Dalia is."

"It's possible. Maybe I can stretch your shadow so that way we should be able to see it." She lifted him up until he stood high above the treetops towards the clouds, sight ability improved somewhat. "See anything?"

"Not yet." He said. "Just a bunch of trees and hills…" He saw it rather droll and unappealing how it was the same in all directions. "Let's keep going. We're gotta find this place."

They continued to jump along and suddenly Black Star's face got slammed into a wall. Ouch… He struggled to peel himself from the wall, and when he did-alas-he fell onto something and bounced off to the ground. "What the hell? That was weird…"

"Hello! What goes there!" a girl calls through the draping leaves. "You must have fallen off of my safety canopy." She offered a lace-gloved hand to him. "I hope you're not hurt."

He didn't understand this girl, she was gentle to someone with a sword and such a great popularity rating. He stood up. "Do you know my friend named Dalia and where I can find this High Castle thing?"

"Heisn? Oh! That's here. And I might know where Dalia is, though I don't know if it's actually her," the girl responded quietly. "I'm Emary, (Em-ree) and I live here full time with my Dad. My mom's a real freak show. Don't ever say I said that! Okay?" She was very hyper and scared in her tone.

Tsubaki transformed to her human form. "Do you think you could take us to her? To Dalia?" When Emary replied with a yes, they were taken to the depths of the castle: the Dungeon.

While the kids were waiting back at the city of Tumbletown, Patti went to go meet the people, they weren't very interesting unless if they made stuff float like telekinesis out blew something up with pyrokinesis. In the time afterwards, Meg (who turned out to be a gymnast and a taekwondo black belt) showed the group around, and as they passed a room in one of the buildings they heard music come from behind its cracked door. They all stopped almost at once as they heard the piano playing; it couldn't have been Soul playing, but it also couldn't have been a musical prodigy if they were a wizard or a demon, right?

Meg turned her head, "Huh? Oh, I guess you found Andy. He loves music, his own special way of communication."

The others either looked or glanced at Soul. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't play that crap. Plus I'm not all that good."

Meg almost looked sorry, and she was. "You guys can listen. He won't care. He's played a few concerts before and people just absolutely love it. He takes a swing at combining seemingly incompatible music genres to create his own."

The music played with a very fast pace at the piano, an extreme rate practically impossible to track, in order to match the sounds of "speed rap" and hip-hop combos; the keys were hardly touched, and Soul knew this because of the light echoes from the keyboard; subtle humming could be heard from a distance in the room until the music abruptly stopped and footsteps went towards the door. A strawberry-blonde walked through the door, almost slamming into Soul, with stereophones on his head.

"Didn't we already see him when you were introducing us to your group?"

"What on Earth are you talking about? I've never seen you before," Andy said, rubbing the back of his head. His voice wasn't raised at all. "Sorry I almost ran into you dude. Are you guys the new recruits or something Sarsa was talking about earlier?" They shook their heads. "Oh. Sorry then. I didn't mean to disturb the tour… I'm Andrew Saunders. you can call me Andy if you want."

Soul heard the beats of Slipknot and Breaking Benjamin coming from his headphones that hung around his neck. Heavy metal, huh? "I got a question for ya. You were playing classical music on the keyboard, but you're listening to heavy metal. How is that physically possible unless you're a wizard?"

"I'm a wizard, yes, but music comes natural. Been doin' it since I was a squirt in the city. And it's just simply training your mind to take in multiple signals at once."

"Hey, Andy, have you seen Dahl by any chance since you're here?"

"Nope, sorry Megs. Not a streak."

"Damn it…" With Anine having capture of the Dark princess and no way to find her, the battle between world's had begun because she sided with Kishin Asura.

A hole was blown into a nearby wall and all the heads turned except Meg's, whose hands had a soft, orangey pink, sparkling ribbon of light floating around them; she had her eyes closed and her breath stilled. "I don't need to look to know who you are. Now why are you disrupting my school?"

The gang of meisters and weapons armed themselves against the opponent standing on the pile of rubble. She smiled with bloodlust. "What do you mean, your school? Everyone is allowed access here, despite your poor excuse of a security system."

"Where is Dalia?" Maka asked.

"Now why would I tell you that? Isn't it true that villains never reveal their hostages?"

"Shut up and just tell us where she is and we might not hurt you too badly."

Kid looked at Haile closely, and for some reason it bugged him that she was symmetrically perfect, flawless, which was unlike him with his obsession about symmetry. He peered closer: her shirt was torn in multiple different places spread unevenly throughout her torso with varying fringe amounts; she had lost one of her gloves; and her bangs were falling out of her braid at random angles. She was using some sort of spell to trick them into thinking she was completely unharmed-and with Deion not using Soul as a medium any longer, she was lying through her teeth-and make it seem as if she were impervious.

It was like Free's spatial magic. She could deceive them easily. So did that mean that the shadow creature was a fraud as well?

"You really think you can hurt me? How cute. You actually think you have a chance. If my own kin can't handle the immense power within me, what gives you the right to think you, a mere ragtag bunch of mortals and one immortal have even a fighting chance?" She sped towards them and stopped two inches from Soul's scythe blade. "I thought you had some sort of intelligence. It almost surprises me that I was wrong. Almost." She jabbed her elbow into Maka's chest, sending her barrelling into Kid and the Thompson sisters. "Pathetic little morsels…"

She went for a slash, finding herself being stopped by a black blade sinking into her skin; unfazed she pulls back and jerks her head. "Ah, the yappy one with an ego bigger than his body. you've returned from the castle, I presume?"

Black Star's eyes were different, their color had changed, and he was ready for a fight. "You'll pay. She didn't deserve that pain."

"I disagree." She blasted him through the hole in the wall and created an indent in the one on the other side of the inner courtyard. "They're weaklings. Saps. Nothing but pieces of useless scrap," she said levelly, unmoved by his determination. "I'm surprised she could feel pain with all that giggling she does."

"Tsubaki, Demon Sword mode." As soon as he had said that, markings covered his entire body in swirls and spike-patterns. Maka and Soul noticed a change in Meg's stance, it was more protective and defensive until she started running; she ran sideways along the wall, leapt off and flipped herself over to have her feet touch the arched ceiling, and created a ring of blue fire around the two battlers (with the assistance of Andy) while hovering in the air.

Maka could see their souls linked to one another's as they held the ring, the souls were different wavelengths harmonizing to create a new one-a unique method similar yet unlike their resonance chain techniques-speaking on the same terms of vibrations.

The fire was transparent but highly dangerous to the outsiders, so they were advised to stand away from it. But why they sealed Black Star off from them in this fight was of what Maka was curious. She looked to Black Star, his wavelength was off as well: it was filled with some sort of controlled fury ready to burst from Tsubaki's weapon mode.

Haile wouldn't deflect his slices and yet she couldn't attack. No one knew what happened to their overly pompous friend, but they somehow knew he was winning.

~END CHAPTER SEVEN~


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